Ford honored with J.D.Kelley award

The J.D. Kelley Memorial Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Bastrop/Morehouse Chamber of Commerce. It is given in honor of the late J.D. Kelley, who had tremendous love and respect for the chamber and the community. The award is given each year to a chamber member who goes above and beyond to help the chamber and the community.

The 2012 recipient, Joyce Ford, was recognized at the chamber's annual banquet held Feb. 28 at the Bastrop Municipal Center. She was honored to receive the award from her daughter, Dorothy Ford, the chamber's executive director and a past winner of the award.

Ford, a founding member of the Morehouse Humane Society, has been active with the chamber for the past six years. She attends chamber functions, helps in the office and with fundraisers and helps with setting up the banquet each year while still keeping her commitments with the Humane Society.

At the Humane Society, Ford spends 10 to 15 hours a week running errands, assisting in organizing fundraisers and doing all bookkeeping, payroll and regulation reports. She has been the treasurer of the organization for the past 15 years and served as president for 25 years. Due to her work, along with all of the members of the Humane Society, the organization has been able to build better kennels, a separate cat house and a separate house for puppies and their mothers.

The 85 year old mother of 7, grandmother of 9 and great-grandmother of 6 is one of two surviving active founding members of the Humane Society and because of her passion for the animals, has no intentions of slowing down any time soon.